Title: Parliamentary Leadership Addresses Coordination on Retiree Insurance, Highlights Educational Equity
Article:
Speaker Calls for Ministerial Resolution on Retiree Coverage
In a public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, a member of parliament highlighted a procedural issue concerning supplementary insurance for retirees. The MP noted that despite advisory opinions from oversight bodies, a specific insurance provider participated in a tender, leading to a disagreement between the Social Security Organization and the national retirees’ association.
This administrative discrepancy has reportedly resulted in a temporary lapse in supplementary insurance coverage for retirees over the past month. The MP urged the Ministers of Health and Medical Education as well as Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare to intervene and facilitate a swift resolution.
Parliamentary Focus on Public Welfare and Healthcare Access
In response, the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, acknowledged the need to resolve the inter-ministerial differences. He emphasized the particular importance of ensuring uninterrupted insurance coverage for citizens, especially during a season with a high prevalence of seasonal viruses and influenza, which has led to increased visits to medical centers.
Commitment to Educational Justice in Healthcare
Shifting focus to a related matter of national policy, Speaker Ghalibaf also detailed the parliament’s commitment to educational equity. He reported that during the 11th parliament, the mandatory service commitment for general practitioners in underprivileged areas was reduced to ten and a half years, and for dentists to nine years. He expressed the expectation that, following satisfactory reports from the Minister of Health, the ministry would manage deployments to ensure that these underserved regions are adequately staffed with medical and dental professionals.